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HTC and Samsung vaguely address Jelly Bean upgrades


pyroscott

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HTC and Samsung have already addressed questions about their upgrade plans for Jelly Bean on their devices.

 

PocketNow received the statement from Samsung saying:

"Samsung will soon announce which additional devices are eligible for the Jelly Bean update. As the world's largest smartphone manufacturer, Samsung leads the Android community with best-in-class devices like the Galaxy S III, and is creating new device categories with products like the Galaxy Note. Samsung has delivered the most Nexus-branded lead OS devices and we are pleased that Google will be bringing Samsung Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S customers the first experiences of Jelly Bean on a handheld device."

 

 

Android Central was able to get a statement from HTC stating:

"We are excited about Android Jelly Bean and are planning to support it across a variety of our devices. We are reviewing the software to determine our upgrade plans and schedule, so please stay tuned for more updates on specific device upgrade plans."

 

While this doesn't tell us anything really, there is speculation that any device that will see Ice Cream Sandwich, should also see Jelly Bean since it is a small incremental upgrade. After tinkering around with Jelly Bean myself, I would agree that it is not nearly the change we saw from Gingerbread to ICS. To me it seems more like JB was designed optimize the OS to run fast and smooth, as well as add Google now, and some other improvements. Hopefully we will start seeing the dam break open on ICS upgrades for all the Gingerbread phones soon followed closely by Jelly Bean.

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I for one am looking forward to the JB update. Having more control in the Notifications area would be nice.Plus smoothness...one less thing for iPhone users to gloat about to me (though, don't get me wrong, my phone is plenty fast).

 

As for the GB->ICS update, my thought there was that some devices might not get it due to not having enough RAM or similar. However the HTC One V has 512MB of RAM yet is running ICS from day one, so I guess that most Android devices could upgrade just fine (seeing as how the lowly Optimus One series of phones, currently stuck on Froyo, have 512MB of RAM).

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HTC and Samsung have already addressed questions about their upgrade plans for Jelly Bean on their devices.

 

PocketNow received the statement from Samsung saying:

 

 

 

Android Central was able to get a statement from HTC stating:

 

 

While this doesn't tell us anything really, there is speculation that any device that will see Ice Cream Sandwich, should also see Jelly Bean since it is a small incremental upgrade. After tinkering around with Jelly Bean myself, I would agree that it is not nearly the change we saw from Gingerbread to ICS. To me it seems more like JB was designed optimize the OS to run fast and smooth, as well as add Google now, and some other improvements. Hopefully we will start seeing the dam break open on ICS upgrades for all the Gingerbread phones soon followed closely by Jelly Bean.

 

I wouldn't hold my breath. Especially when it comes to Samsung. At best, you should probably expect an update in about 6 months. I remember the Epic launching with Eclair and being promised an update to Froyo "soon". Soon turned out be months. If Samsung has their act together and gets it before out before then, then maybe we'll have hit a turning point for Android. I doubt it though.

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However the HTC One V has 512MB of RAM yet is running ICS from day one, so I guess that most Android devices could upgrade just fine (seeing as how the lowly Optimus One series of phones, currently stuck on Froyo, have 512MB of RAM).

 

I think there is a combination of factors that makes OEMs say a device is not compatible and refuse to push out an upgrade for the OS. It costs them a fair amount to write the software and beta test it. They have to weigh the advantages and disadvantages before committing to an upgrade. It is not just a matter of plugging the new version of android into the code. It makes a lot of difference what the phone was designed to run on. A manufacturer doesn't really know for sure how the phone's hardware will mesh with the OS. If they can't work the bugs out, it would be disasterous to promise an upgrade and not deliver. One of the things that makes Android great is the wide range of hardware combinations that can be offered, but this also creates a nightmare for upgrading the OS and retaining functionality.

 

Apple can continue to upgrade their old devices because they only have 4 phone models to deal with. The updates for the 3G and 3GS are not much more than changing the number of the software version in the "about phone" menu and maintaining functionality with itunes.

 

Windows Phone has strict guidelines for the hardware used and doesn't allow OEMs to skin their operating system, making it easier for them to push out updates, much like the Nexus line for Android.

 

It all comes down to open source, really. I was reading a Kindle Fire message board the other day and someone asked if Amazon would update the KF to ICS. I busted out laughing and the wife thought I was losing my mind. The kindle fire is perfectly capable of running ICS (I am running it on my KF now) but Amazon has literally nothing to gain by spending money to upgrade the OS. You can barely even classify the KF as running Android, but in the code, it is Android.

 

I am more or less rambling at this point, but I wouldn't expect any phone over a year old to be upgraded unless it is an iconic device. The manufacturers will claim that it is a hardware limitation, when it is really only a cost/reward limitation. They don't want to have to go in and tailor the OS to fit the device. It only gets more time consuming and expensive as the device ages to rewrite Android OS to work on their older devices. Even Google refused to update the Nexus One to ICS. I heard that it was because of the RAM, but XDA has HTC Nexus One ICS ROMs. I'm sure that will be seeing JB ROMs too. Manufacturers just don't want to spend the money to update software forever and have to pull the plug sooner or later. They usually leave the device with a functional OS with the bugs worked out. (No, not the Epic with GB upgrade)

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I wouldn't hold my breath. Especially when it comes to Samsung. At best, you should probably expect an update in about 6 months. I remember the Epic launching with Eclair and being promised an update to Froyo "soon". Soon turned out be months. If Samsung has their act together and gets it before out before then, then maybe we'll have hit a turning point for Android. I doubt it though.

 

That is because the manufacturers can't release a buggy update to the general public. ROMs pop up right away and are full of bugs. Just like CyanogenMOD goes through months of "nightly" status, which is essentially alpha and beta releases, then however many release candidates before it is considered a stable "public release." Samsung would definately benefit by increasing their software upgrade personnel, but I applaud them for not pushing some buggy beta release out to the general public.

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That is because the manufacturers can't release a buggy update to the general public. ROMs pop up right away and are full of bugs. Just like CyanogenMOD goes through months of "nightly" status, which is essentially alpha and beta releases, then however many release candidates before it is considered a stable "public release." Samsung would definately benefit by increasing their software upgrade personnel, but I applaud them for not pushing some buggy beta release out to the general public.

 

I've always thought that was a copout. If they wanted to keep their phones up to date they would. I just think it's the manufacturer's mentality. Why spend resources on updating existing hardware when we can get them to buy new hardware? That's why I'm really considering making the jump to a nexus device now. As long as you don't get a cdma version, you'll always be current on android.

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I've always thought that was a copout. If they wanted to keep their phones up to date they would. I just think it's the manufacturer's mentality. Why spend resources on updating existing hardware when we can get them to buy new hardware? That's why I'm really considering making the jump to a nexus device now. As long as you don't get a cdma version, you'll always be current on android.

 

GSM Nexus One is still on Gingerbread...

 

It is a copout in a sense, but the manufacturer knows the development community is large enough that if someone wants a buggy pre-release, they can load it on their phone themself. Manufacturers don't get paid one cent from the consumer for software upgrades. Any upgrades they push out are just to try to keep customer loyalty and keep their phones selling. Maybe they should start charging customers for software upgrades, but that would probably not go well.

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GSM Nexus One is still on Gingerbread...

 

It is a copout in a sense, but the manufacturer knows the development community is large enough that if someone wants a buggy pre-release, they can load it on their phone themself. Manufacturers don't get paid one cent from the consumer for software upgrades. Any upgrades they push out are just to try to keep customer loyalty and keep their phones selling. Maybe they should start charging customers for software upgrades, but that would probably not go well.

 

Only because a manufacturer would probably charge an exorbitant amount. If there was a $5 or $10 charge to upgrade from say ICS to jellybean, I think a lot of people would happily pay it.

 

As far as the nexus one goes, there's always a cutoff. Hardware gets too slow to run new software eventually.

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Only because a manufacturer would probably charge an exorbitant amount. If there was a $5 or $10 charge to upgrade from say ICS to jellybean, I think a lot of people would happily pay it.

 

As far as the nexus one goes, there's always a cutoff. Hardware gets too slow to run new software eventually.

 

It would be tough to do, I usually donate $10+ to the developer of a ROM that I use heavily, and I would pay for a MFG upgrade, but it would just be another point that people would compare Android with iOS WP etc. I can hear it now "I don't have to pay for my software upgrades, sucker!" Probably not something Google wants. They have been all about open source and the open community. Someone trying to make money off a software upgrade wouldn't fit with that philosophy...

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  • 1 month later...

i am looking forward to the jb update for the ltevo when it eventually gets here. however, at the moment i would be happy if they would just add google now to the play store for us to download and take advantage of, or update the current google search to operate as google now. that is one of the biggest features/upgrades i am looking forward too personally

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Just wondering out loud...does anyone have a guess as to when the LTEVO will get the upgrade to Jellybean.

 

I ask because I am planning on upgrading to the LTEVO either in September or December, and I was wondering if it would have Jellybean by the time I get it.

 

KCT - "No Matter Where You Go, There You Are!"

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Just wondering out loud...does anyone have a guess as to when the LTEVO will get the upgrade to Jellybean.

 

I ask because I am planning on upgrading to the LTEVO either in September or December' date=' and I was wondering if it would have Jellybean by the time I get it.

 

KCT - "No Matter Where You Go, There You Are!"[/quote']

 

Well it took HTC and the rest of the Android OEM's 8 months to upgrade to ICS. I doubt jelly bean will take that long... so December is a good possibility. I think September is a little aggressive.

 

Sent from JBToro on Forum Runner

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Well it took HTC and the rest of the Android OEM's 8 months to upgrade to ICS. I doubt jelly bean will take that long... so December is a good possibility. I think September is a little aggressive.

 

Sent from JBToro on Forum Runner

 

Thanks.

 

KCT - "No Matter Where You Go, There You Are!"

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Well it took HTC and the rest of the Android OEM's 8 months to upgrade to ICS. I doubt jelly bean will take that long... so December is a good possibility. I think September is a little aggressive.

 

Sent from JBToro on Forum Runner

correction, it took SPRINT an extra 3 months atleast to bloat it
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Depends on the devices I suppose. The LTEVO doesn't really have the bloat as the previous devices. If they add the bloat and it goes to all devices the same, I would think a lot of LTEVO owners are going to be, to put it politely, extremely upset. That's my opinion, and one of the delay factors I see coming. It would mean multiple versions to support multiple devices, or the exclusion of older devices. The only bloat I've seen on my LTEVO is for the hot spot and sprint zone. Sprint zone can be useful at times and I don't use the hot spot.

 

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2

Edited by Acidsurfr
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  • 2 weeks later...

 

 

It would be tough to do, I usually donate $10+ to the developer of a ROM that I use heavily, and I would pay for a MFG upgrade, but it would just be another point that people would compare Android with iOS WP etc. I can hear it now "I don't have to pay for my software upgrades, sucker!" Probably not something Google wants. They have been all about open source and the open community. Someone trying to make money off a software upgrade wouldn't fit with that philosophy...

 

I think they could give you a stock version for a device and charge for it. I would pay $10-$20 to have a stock android ROM experience from HTC for my EVO LTE. I think 2 flavors would be nice and the stock ROM should not require any additional work as I imagine they have to get it to this point before adding sense features.

 

I am probably showing ignorance on this post.

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  • 8 months later...

Ok...so this may be the wrong place to post this, but I don't want to start a new thread, so here goes...

 

I know the HTC One comes 'Stock' with Android 4.1, but so have heard that it might get Android 4.2.

 

What do you all think?

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